The Long Road
by SilverLight7
Summary: The journey to becoming a Pokemon Master was a long one, but Satoshi was determined to see it through to the end. (Starts in season one but aspects of future seasons will be included. It will also include the movies. Satoshi's skill level will not be reset at the beginning of each region, and romance will play a minimal part, if any.)


You know, I am of the belief that Pokemon would be a lot cooler if they just changed a few things. For starters, having Ash/Satoshi as something more than a static character that resets to a beginner's level at the start of every journey. There's potential when it comes to his personality, and it would be nice to see him grow and develop as a person alongside his pokemon.

That, and I'm tired of looking for a good fic that makes references to and connects one season to another.

Anyway, as with all my stories, this is going to be a long one. I'm also going to use the Japanese names for the human characters. I'll see how that goes, since I'm aware that not everyone watched the subbed episodes. If there's too much confusion, let me know and I'll change it. So, yea, bear with me on that and my sporadic updates.

Oh, as a note, Satoshi's last name will be Tabimoto. His first name is actually a reference to the creator of Pokemon, Satoshi Tajiri, and the last is my attempt to give a somewhat meaningful surname to the one we all have a soft spot for, despite being annoyed at his lack of personal growth (physically and mentally). For those of you who are interested in that sort of thing, the meanings are below:

Satoshi, for a majority of the sites I checked, were variants of "quick-thinking" or "wise." Two sites had a different meaning ("intelligent history" and "born from the ashes") but general consensus seemed to be more on the first two. It kind of fits, because while Satoshi isn't the smartest kid on the block, he's definitely good at thinking on his feet, and he _is_ wise in certain things (as most childish protagonists tend to be).

Tabimoto is a combination of two words. Tabi, which means "journey," and moto, which means "origin." So, basically, it's supposed to mean "origin of the journey."

Tabi can _also_ mean traditional Japanese socks (the two toed ones), but since it's the kanji of the name that counts, we're going with the first one. :)

That's enough out of me. Please read on and enjoy.

**Disclaimer for the whole fic: I don't, and will never, own Pokemon. Anything that you recognize does not belong to me. The only things that do are a few original characters I might have pop up at certain points.**

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Chapter 1: A Not So Different Beginning...?

There were many things that could be said about Tabimoto Satoshi. Loud, impatient, stubborn...but he was also a noble boy with a kind heart, who showed his passion and determination in everything he did.

It was something that would lead him on many incredible adventures, but for the moment, he still had a lot of growing up to do.

"_Mom!_ Why didn't you wake me up?!"

"You just looked so peaceful I didn't have the heart to wake you. Besides, I thought you set your alarm."

Satoshi groaned in frustration. It was his own fault, really. At some point last night, it seemed like he had thrown his alarm clock at the wall, preventing it from going off. Then his mother had chosen today, of all days, to let him sleep in. Normally, he wouldn't mind, but she _had_ to have known how important today was! It wasn't like he hadn't been talking about it almost nonstop since he'd turned ten, after all.

On second thought, maybe that explained it. Everyone in town knew how much she was dreading his departure.

Making a mental note say one last goodbye before he left and another to _never_ buy a poke ball shaped clock _ever_ again, he scrambled downstairs and out the door, just barely missing his mother's cries to change his clothes first. A shame, that.

That aside, if he wasn't so anxious he might have felt a little proud of himself. Getting to the lab from his house in five minutes was a new personal best.

Unfortunately, things didn't look good for him. There was a large crowd of people standing in front of the gates, and he could already see two of the kids he knew would start their journey today taking off. Gritting his teeth, Satoshi pushed his way through. If he had to wait another _year_, he would never forgive himself. Finally, he broke through, only to run into someone as they were leaving and fall to the ground.

"Hey, that hurt!" When Shigeru noticed who he had run into, he smirked. "Hm? Oh, you're Satoshi, aren't you? You are! Satoshi-kun is late, I see."

Looking up, he felt a mix of anger and nostalgia. It had been years since he had spoken to Shigeru, so he supposed that was expected. That smug tone was really annoying, though. Determined to not let that get to him, he stood.

"Shigeru."

"That's Shigeru-_kun_. Add the 'kun.'"

He hadn't cared when he'd called him Shigeru before, Satoshi thought to himself.

By this point, Shigeru's smug smirk had turned into a mocking grin. "But you're late today. As my rival, you're already falling behind!"

Irritation flashed within him. It had just been bad luck that he'd woken up late today! It meant nothing in terms of how well he was going to do on his journey!

He paused as something else in that last sentence caught his attention.

"Wait. Then you already have your starter pokemon?"

Shigeru immediately pulled out a poke ball and spun it on his finger. "It's right here, in this poke ball."

Satoshi felt something in him clench at that. It was already pretty late, and the other kids had already left. What if there weren't-

No. He couldn't think like that. Surely, the professor knew how many children were going to leave on their journey and planned accordingly...right? Right.

"Shigeru-kun?"

"Yea?"

"Which pokemon did you choose?"

Shigeru leaned closer, still as smug as before. "I'm not telling. Well, I am the grandson of Professor Okido. I got the best pokemon from my grandfather!"

He was starting to remember why they'd stopped hanging out now. Still, it was good motivation if nothing else. He felt more fired up than ever, even as he watched Shigeru gloat about his future success before he took off, taking the large crowd with him.

"Hm, if it isn't Satoshi-kun..."

The voice was enough to jar him out of his thoughts.

"Professor!" he said with a grin. "Where's my pokemon?"

"Your pokemon?"

"That's what I said! My pokemon!"

"That's right, I heard four people were coming but..."

Professor Okido's voice sent a bit of dread through him, but he was determined to not give up hope.

"But, boy, are you going in your pajamas?"

He sweat-dropped. "...Pajamas are just a minor problem. I was a bit late getting up...and don't call me boy! So, where's my pokemon?!"

The professor sighed, but stepped aside and led him into the lab.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

As the container with the three starter pokemon opened, Satoshi could barely control his excitement. This was a turning point in his life. After he left the lab today, nothing would ever be the same.

"I've been thinking for a while," he said as he reached over to one of the poke balls. "-and I've decided to go with...Squirtle! Huh?"

"A kid who wasn't late got it."

He had to admit that he was a bit disappointed, and yet, it wasn't the sort of crushing feeling he thought it would be. He had been so sure that he wanted Squirtle as his starter so, if anything, he was more confused than angry. Maybe he hadn't wanted it as badly as he'd thought?

"Too bad I was late...Okay then, in that case...Bulbasaur!"

"That was also given to a kid that was on time."

Worry started to seep in, but it was because he was starting to come to a very bad train of thought. A "_there's no more pokemon for you_" train of thought. That was strange too. It had been a very close choice between Squirtle and Bulbasaur, and he honestly wouldn't have minded starting off with the grass type...but here he was, feeling nothing more than mild concern.

"Fine. I'll take Charmander, then! Oh, damn."

He yelped when the professor hit him upside the head.

"Language!" the older man scolded before adopting an expression that let Satoshi know he was about to be lectured. "All the pokemon were taken, and you could have gotten one if you had come earlier." He raised his hand to his chin in what Satoshi guessed was supposed to be a wise manner. "Be it the train to work or pokemon, one second off can change your life."

"Then...should I set out without a pokemon?"

It was the only thing he could think of, since staying home for another year was _definitely_ out of the question. Although he couldn't say he'd heard of anyone doing that, and it was probably dangerous...

Professor Okido must have been thinking something similar, since he looked a little more worried now. "I still have one pokemon, but..."

That was all he needed to hear. "Please give it to me!"

To his surprise, a secret compartment opened up between the three empty pokeballs.

"Before I show you this pokemon, I should warn you that it has a small problem."

"It's already a problem that I was late..."

Only, it wasn't. Not anymore, anyway. As long as he had a pokemon, right?

"Very well."

The moment the last poke ball was placed in his hands, Satoshi almost jerked back at the jolt that seemed to shoot through him. Could it possibly have something to do with the little bolt symbol that was engraved where the name of the pokemon should have been? Or maybe he was just excited to finally have his first pokemon...Whatever the reason, it fled his mind when his pokemon appeared in a bright flash of light.

Again, he almost dropped the poke ball in shock. In all the videos he'd seen, pokemon had always come out of their poke balls in flashes of light, but they were _never_ this bright and they were _red_. This blinding, yellow light was scary but new and exciting and it made his heart race in a way he didn't think was possible and why was the professor so calm about this-

"Pikachu."

He'd found his pokemon.

"This pokemon is called Pikachu."

Satoshi laughed. "Cute! It's the best!"

And it _was_. Seeing Pikachu, he just _knew_ that it was meant for him.

"Oh, really?"

He grinned and picked up his new partner. "Yeah! Nice to meet you, Pikachu!"

Unable to contain himself anymore, he hugged the cuddly looking pokemon. For a moment, he was the happiest trainer ever.

Then, he was electrocuted.

"W-What is this?!"

"It's also known as the electric mouse. It does this when scared, threatened by people, or touched."

"Couldn't you have told me that before?" he said in a weak voice after the shocking stopped.

The professor smirked. "Hm, I should've..."

He was starting to see where Shigeru got it from.

"Well then," Professor Okido continued before Satoshi had the chance to gain his bearings. "I want you to have these. A pokedex and poke balls."

"T-Thank you very M-M-MUCH!"

It hurt to be electocuted again, but all he could think was that it served Professor Okido right to be caught up in it too.

"P-P-Put the p-pokemon in t-the p-poke ball!"

Heck no.

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

Later that day, Satoshi sighed as he stopped dragging Pikachu along with the clothesline his mother had packed for him. "Are you going to continue acting like this?"

He was pretty sure Pikachu just scoffed at him, and it left him at a loss. This was supposed to be a special time to spend bonding but _his_ pokemon...

"Do you hate me?"

A tight feeling gripped his heart when Pikachu nodded. He wasn't going to show how much that hurt him, though. He had to stay positive and hope that he could talk this out.

"I like you, though. You're the pokemon I chose. Couldn't you talk to me just a little?"

A part of him wanted to laugh when Pikachu just opened its mouth. What a little smart alec...

"That's right, you can't talk- not anything that I would understand, anyway."

Pikachu nodded again. That was progress, right? At least it was responding. Maybe it could be reasoned with now?

"Then, you're a pokemon, and like other pokemon, you should stay in your poke ball. Just like the pokedex says."

He let Pikachu listen to the information, but started to think that it might have dealt with humans before. How else would it have known which button to press on the pokedex to prove him wrong? Well, he'd think about that later, he supposed.

"I get it. You don't like it in there. So, I'll do this." He unraveled the wire and took off the rubber gloves. "There."

It turned its head away. "Pi."

He sighed. "Still no good, huh?"

"Pika."

He knew he wanted Pikachu as his pokemon, but he was starting to run out of ideas. Just what was it going to take to get Pikachu to like him?

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOo**

He shouldn't have asked.

As he took one shaky step after the other in what he was pretty sure was the right direction, Satoshi could only sigh. It _would_ be him that somehow ended up angering a whole flock of Spearow, wouldn't it? He was willing to bet that none of the others had such a horrible first day. Oh, he was _never_ going to tell _anyone_ about this.

Then again...he was also willing to bet that none of them had seen what he had, either.

_Bright, golden wings that seemed to trail starlight in their wake, and a cry that had reached to the very depths of his soul. Powerful. Yet warm and soothing like a gentle fire-_

"Pi...ka..."

Still, he wished Pikachu hadn't had to end up so injured, but they were friends now, and it made him so incredibly happy to know that. Once they were both fixed up, he'd let Pikachu know that he hadn't made a bad choice in trusting him. He was going to be the best trainer Kanto had ever seen! With Pikachu, he was sure he could do it.

Which reminded him...

"That was one heck of an attack, buddy," he said as he gently adjusted his hold. "I know that lightning helped you a bit, but if that was just Thundershock, then Thunderbolt and Thunder are going to be _insane_." He froze on the road as a thought suddenly occurred to him, then grinned a second later. "If Shigeru chose Squirtle, then I can't _wait_ to see him again. He is _so_ going down."

Satoshi continued down the road that led to Viridian City dirty, exhausted, and with injuries that would probably set him and his pokemon back a day or more, but also with dreams of the future playing through his heart and mind. They were joyful dreams, bright and vibrant in a way that only the brilliance of the rainbow feather peaking out of his jacket pocket could match...

**OoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo ~Chapter End~**

**Satoshi's current stats:**

**Rank****:** E

**Age:** 10

**Location:** Route 1

**Pokemon:**

**Pikachu (Male)-** Level 10

**Nature**- Modest and highly curious

**Attacks**- Growl, Thundershock, Thunderwave, Volt Tackle (Inherited. currently unable to use)

So...yeah. That was chapter one. Like the title said, it's not too different from the anime. However, I've already started to weave a few changes that will slowly ripple out until we finally get to see how different things become. I've also started implementing canon stuff from future seasons here as well.

As you might have noticed, I've also got a "rank" stat for Satoshi. For this story, I'm hoping to add a bit more depth when it comes to this. There are seven ranks:

**E**- Novice Trainers (4 badges or less)

**D**- Beginning Trainers (5-8 badges or 2 victories in unofficial tournaments)

All trainer ranks after this require a minimum of eight gym badges or an equivalent level of skill as judged by a licenced League evaluator:

**C**- Nurse Joy family, Security guards, Student Rangers, and Average Trainers (1 high placement or 4 participations in official leagues)

**B**- Local law enforcement, Area Rangers, and Intermediate Trainers (high placement in 2 official leagues and at least 5 participations)

**A**- Gym Leaders (with some exceptions), Top Rangers, and Experienced Trainers (high placement in 4 official leagues)

**The next rank is split into two categories. It's the same rank, but one distinguishes the trainer just a little more from the rest:**

**S** (silver on trainer ID)- Elite Four, Special Forces, and Veteran Trainers (3 victories or 5+ high placements in official leagues)

**S** (gold on trainer ID)- Champions (must meet the requirements for S rank and defeat the Elite Four in one or more regions)

**X**- Most regional professors, travelling researchers, retired trainers, etc.

I'm pretty sure I missed a few things, so if you ask, I'll tell you where they fit in. The exception to that is pokemon contests. Coordinators have their own ranking system, but I won't get into that yet. Anyway, as you can see, most trainers fall will fall between C and D, with a few of them reaching B rank. High placement in an official league tournament would be the top 8. So Ash, as of the latest series, would be considered an A rank trainer since he's been in the top eight or higher in four of the five leagues he's participated in. With one more top 8 placement, he'd actually be S rank.

Not that he _shows_ it, but that's more because the show tends to reset him at the start of every season.

Unofficial tournaments would be lesser ones that still have some backing by the Pokemon League Committee, such as the Orange League, the Whirl Cup, Battle Frontier, or the Pokemon World Tournament Junior Cup.

Now for a bit of information on X rank. Basically, it's meant for people who travel around with or own pokemon, but aren't actively battling or coordinating. It's hard to judge the skill level of someone like that, so the X rank was created to tell other people: "think about whether or not you want to ask this person for a battle."

Take Shigeru, for example. In the anime, he has only lost one match to Satoshi. He is obviously a good trainer, and I doubt he would just let his pokemon get out of shape. Yet, if I were to go by the normal ranking system, he would be a D rank as opposed to Satoshi's A rank. Crazy, right? He should be much higher than that.

Anyway, if the ranking system existed in the anime, Shigeru would currently be considered an X rank. Should he ever decide to become a trainer again, since it has been a few years, a representative from the Pokemon League Committee would be asked to evaluate him and his pokemon in order to give him a more accurate rank. On the other hand, if a person were to retire for a few months because they were discouraged at a loss, they would keep the same rank they left with and still have to work their way up.

The system is very much based on time and experience, as it has proven to be the most accurate measurement of skill.

So, yea, hope that wasn't confusing. If you've got any questions, feel free to ask and I'll do my best to answer. That's about it for this chapter, so I hope you enjoyed it. Take care and until next time!


End file.
